Cursor Launches Origin, a New Code-Hosting Platform

The AI startup Cursor, now officially a part of SpaceX, has launched Origin this week. This new code-hosting platform is designed to handle the core tasks developers typically use GitHub for: collaboratively working on codebases, browsing and editing them, managing pull-requests (edits submitted by others for inclusion in the main codebase), and storing them in repositories.

Designed to Complement, Not Replace, GitHub

Origin appears to be a natural progression for Cursor, whose primary focus so far has been selling automated web development services through its AI Code Editor. The company has also indicated that “agent native” features will soon be available for Origin, though it hasn’t shared many details yet. Additionally, Cursor says it is building a broader “app ecosystem” to support wider coding efforts within Origin.

Interestingly, using Origin does not require users to abandon GitHub. Origin is specifically designed to allow developers to work alongside GitHub, enabling code to be passed back and forth between the two platforms in an interoperable manner. As Cursor explains in its blog: “Your GitHub repos can sit alongside the ones Cursor hosts. Connect GitHub to Cursor, pick your org, and you’ll see the repos you can sync. Select one and Cursor pulls it in.”

Launch Coincides with GitHub’s Ongoing Outages

The launch of Origin comes amid growing frustration over a perceived decline in GitHub’s services. On the same day Cursor unveiled its new platform, GitHub experienced a lengthy worldwide outage. For over six hours, the site’s functions were reportedly degraded, with an error rate of nearly 20% worldwide.

This is not the first such incident. Earlier this year, after a series of outages, GitHub announced new measures to appease unhappy users as its availability problems appeared to escalate. More broadly, the platform has suffered 257 outages over the past year, according to a recent analysis by LeadDev. These persistent issues have led to “a visible exodus of high-profile users,” writes LeadDev’s reporter Charles Humble.

GitHub’s Dominance Remains a Challenge

Still, competing with GitHub will be a significant challenge for Cursor. According to GitHub’s own metrics, around 180 million developers use the platform as of last October. Founded in 2007 and acquired by Microsoft in 2012, GitHub continues to be the largest source-code host in the world.

#Cursor, #Origin, #GitHub, #CodeHosting, #AI